Love in Romeo and Juliet

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Jessie Sudlow

There are Many types of Love in Romeo and Juliet. Write as Much as you can About the Different Views of Love Shakespeare Gives us.

Shakespeare demonstrates many different types of love throughout his construct “Romeo & Juliet”. Shakespeare’s views on love reflect the time period in which it was written. “Romeo and Juliet” was written in 1595 with the plot taken from Arthur Brooks’ poem “The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet” which was written in 1562.  

Shakespeare exposes Juliet’s parents as being unkind, callous and nasty. This is revealed through their actions and behaviour towards Juliet. Capulet starts in the play by being acting as a nice father and protects Juliet by telling Paris that he cannot marry Juliet as she is too young, Juliet was aged either 13 or 14 and it was usual to marry early because life expectancy was short. This we realise was just an act because in the time period fathers were just the providers and they never really showed love for their sons/daughters. This is shown when we get to Act 3 Scene 5 and Capulet changes his mind and decided that Juliet will now get married to Paris. This was because in the time period it was common for fathers to choose their daughters husbands from a pool of possible suitors. This is because Capulet thinks the wedding will make her happy after the death of her cousin Tybalt, as she has really been upset about Romeo’s banishment.

However when Juliet informs Capulet that she would not like to get married to Paris and her parents get quite angry with  Lady Capulet saying that “ I would the fool were married to her grave”. Juliet then goes on to beg that she does not want to have to marry Paris and then Capulet replies, “Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch!”. Implying that she will marry Paris or her family might abandon her and wish her dead. This would have been because of the fact that daughters belonged to their fathers and wives to their daughters and they could do with them what they wanted.

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However in the Montague household the Montague’s, treat Romeo differently because in Act 1 Scene 1 when he has disappeared all morning Lady Montague fears that something may have happened to him, “O where is Romeo, saw him you today?” she could also fear that he could be in danger. This is how the reader expects all parent and child relationships to be not like how they are in the Capulet family. Then we do not really see Romeos parents again until Act 3 Scene 1 where they stand up for their son by saying that he shouldn’t be ...

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